Trim Your Bills

One of the easiest, most satisfying ways of saving money is by calling up a vendor and simply asking for a reduced rate on services. They may say no, but they just may say yes. There’s so much competition in most sectors these days that companies are often willing to give their customers a discount rather than lose them altogether.

The most common types of bills that can be negotiated are recurring ones like mobile device service providers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and cable television and internet providers like Spectrum, Comcast, and DirecTV. You could even try calling your car insurance company and your utility providers, but these are less likely to budge on pricing. Another overlooked negotiation avenue is medical bills. Let me say this again, you can negotiation medical bills, and you will often be successful! Many larger medical facilities (like hospitals) have a blanket policy where if you call their billing department and tell them you’d like a reduced bill, they’ll cut 30%+ off your total if you agree to pay right then on the phone. Depending on the size of the bill, this could save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Go ahead and print out your most recent bank and/or credit card statement. Scan through it to identify recurring payments and charges that might be able to be negotiated. Take the time to call your cable company and your cell phone company. You can even tell them you were offered a better price elsewhere. They may just offer an “introductory rate” for your loyalty.